a. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to a remote catheter guidance system. More particularly, this disclosure relates to a graphical user interface for controlling a remote catheter guidance system, and a user-guided configuration routine for automatically configuring a remote catheter guidance system.
b. Background Art
Electrophysiology (EP) catheters are used in a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic medical procedures. For example, EP catheters can be used to correct conditions such as atrial arrhythmia, including ectopic atrial tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter. Atrial arrhythmia can create a variety of dangerous conditions including irregular heart rates, loss of synchronous atrioventricular contractions, and statis of blood flow, which can lead to a variety of ailments or death.
EP catheters typically have one or more electrodes mounted thereon for use in the performance of mapping, ablation, and/or other diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. In an instance wherein the catheter is configured for use in an ablation procedure, electrodes mounted on or in the catheter are used to create tissue necrosis (i.e., lesions) in cardiac tissue to correct conditions such as those identified above. It is believed that the primary cause of atrial arrhythmia is stray electrical signals within the left or right atrium of the heart. Accordingly, by applying ablative energy (e.g., radio frequency energy, cryoablation, lasers, chemicals, high-intensity focused ultrasound, etc.) to the tissue, lesion(s) are formed therein that disrupt undesirable electrical pathways, thereby preventing or at least substantially limiting, the stray electrical signals that can lead to arrhythmias.
In order to perform procedures such as those described above, the catheter must be inserted into the patient's body and maneuvered through the vasculature to a desired anatomical structure or site (e.g., the heart). One way this can be done is with the use of a medical device known as a sheath or catheter-introducer in conjunction with the catheter. Sheaths have a central lumen adapted to receive medical devices, such as, for example, catheters, and allow for the movement of the catheter therein. Sheaths also provide a measure of protection of the catheter tip while the catheter and sheath are being maneuvered into and through the vasculature. Once at the desired structure or site, the distal portion of the catheter containing one or more electrodes can be extended beyond the distal end of the sheath to allow for the performance of one or more procedures.
The catheter and/or sheath can contain one or more steering wires that run the length of the respective devices from the proximal end thereof to a point at or near the distal end thereof. These steering wires can be coupled at the proximal end thereof with an actuator. The combination of the steering wires and the manipulation of the actuator allow a physician to effect movement (i.e., deflection) of the distal end of the catheter and/or sheath in one or more directions, thus allowing the device to be navigated.
Considerable skill is required to accurately navigate the catheter and sheath within the patient's vasculature and anatomical structures, such as, for example, the heart, and can be made considerably easier through the use of a remote catheter guidance system, such as, for example, a remote catheter guidance system.
Although remote catheter guidance systems provide precise control of catheter movements, such systems generally require a physician to manually navigate the catheter and any associated sheath through the patient vasculature prior to attaching the catheter to the remote catheter guidance system. When attaching the catheter the physician must manually configure the remote catheter guidance system by performing a series of calibration steps required for the guidance system to accurately maneuver the catheter. Should the physician perform the steps in the wrong order or omit a step, the guidance system can require the calibration process be repeated. The calibration process also becomes necessary when the catheter or an attached sheath malfunctions and must be replaced, or when the guidance system is recovering from a system failure such as a loss of power. Manual configuration in these situations can take ten minutes or more and unduly increases the length of procedures and the attendant risks to the patient. An example of a method for calibrating a remote device can be seen generally by reference to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/843,589, filed 22 Aug. 2007, owned by the common assignee of the present disclosure, and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Automated catheter guidance systems can utilize visualization, navigation, and/or mapping systems to determine the location or position and orientation of the catheter within the patient's heart. Various types of visualization, navigation, and mapping systems can be used, such as, for example, electric field-based systems, magnetic field-based systems, and hybrid systems combining both electrical and magnetic fields. Among other things, these systems generate a model of one or more anatomical structures that are used as the primary navigational reference for the remote catheter guidance system.
Although remote catheter guidance systems can be used in conjunction with a visualization, navigation, and mapping system, the operation is hindered by the fact that both the visualization, navigation, and mapping system and the remote catheter guidance system maintain independent controls. Thus, the physician must switch between the individual controls of each system to utilize both. Such switching is problematic in that it not only unduly complicates clinical procedures but also creates an inherent delay between perceiving a catheter movement within the visualization, navigation, and altering or stopping the movement using the remote catheter guidance system controls.
Accordingly, the inventors herein have recognized a need for improved control of remote catheter guidance systems, as well as improved ways of configuring such systems that will minimize and/or eliminate one or more of the deficiencies in conventional remote catheter guidance systems.